Dear Patients and Visitors,

Dr Ken Roper had commenced specialist Obstetric and Gynaecology practice in 1994. For 30 years he has been providing care to patients in his surgery in Miranda, as well as inpatient care at public hospitals, Sutherland and St George, and private hospitals, Kareena Private, St George Private, and Hurstville Private. It has been an enormous privilege to him to have been involved in so many people's lives. The time has come for him to re-focus his professional pursuits, mainly in the capacity of locum services in many parts of rural and remote Australia, as well as spending more time with his loyal wife, Christine, and the emerging next generation of grandchildren.

Your General Practitioner can direct you to another Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, based on their own professional experience, or from recommendations of friends.

Recalls:
There are a number of patients for whom recalls for ongoing medical care is necessary. This information will have been conveyed to the General Practitioner that referred you by letters that have already been written to them at the time of most recent consultation. There are several common scenarios.
1. Cervical screening. Most women will have their results routinely conveyed to the National Cervical Screening Registry. In turn, this Registry will send reminders to women regarding the impending need for re-screening. These reminders will be sent to the address at which you lived when the screening was performed. It is important to update your address details if they have changed. Please see the attached link and follow the appropriate prompts. https://www.ncsr.gov.au/information-for-participants/manage-your-participation.html
2. Mirena. The Mirena device has been available in Australia since 1999 and available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule since February 2003. They are employed for contraception, for control of heavy menstrual bleeding and for protection against pre-cancerous changes in the endometrium (lining of the womb) in those women using oestrogen replacement therapy. The usual advice for most of these circumstances was to change the device every 5 years. However, in July 2024 the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration revised the duration of use that these devices could be relied upon for contraception. This is now 8 years duration. This advice does NOT apply to those women using a Mirena in the context of oestrogen replacement therapy, nor to the use of Kyleena devices for contraception: in both of these specific circumstances the advice is to change them at 5 years.
3. Vaginal pessaries for management of genital prolapse. These will need regular review, every 6-12 months, by either your pelvic floor physiotherapist, your General Practitioner, or your new Gynaecologist

Request for old Notes:
Electronic copies of your old medical records can be transferred to you if requested. There is a form attached that needs to be filled out and then sent by email to reception@drkenroper.com.au . The response time will vary but typically within 4-8 weeks. These are available for ongoing care and for any medico-legal action that may occur. Notes will be destroyed and unavailable after particular statute times: 7 years for Gynaecology patients and 25 years for Obstetric/Maternity patients.